One of the players to watch out for in Denmark this season is AaB’s Peruvian winger, Edison Flores. Learning his weaknesses and striving to improve them with every season, he’s shown a lot of change in recent years and being still only 23, he’s got a lot to prove. This upcoming season is perfect for Edison to show Denmark and other top European teams what he’s made of. Last season he struggled a lot with injuries and struggled to be a regular for AaB, but as it so seems he will be a key player for the team from here on.

He’s also a regular and fair to say a Ricardo Gareca favourite for the Peruvian national team. With much criticism from others, he’s continued to defy the odds and perform to a high standard in the Copa America and the World Cup qualifiers and shut everyone up. He has been one of the most important players to La Blanquiroja and can be seen as the “next star” in this new coming Peruvian generation.

Who is Edison Flores?

Nicknamed “Oreja” because of his big ears, Edison Flores is a Peruvian born in the capital of the country, Lima. He was born on May 14th, 1993. His first club was Escuela Deportivo Hector Chumpitaz. While not a professional club in the first 2 tiers of the Peruvian football pyramid, they play in the youth tournament Copa Federacion and play in Comas, a district which is based in the north of Lima. He was at Hector Chumpitaz from 2004 to 2008.

He was afterwards brought over to Universitario and played for them until 2012 where he was bought by Villareal in Spain. At La U, Edison Flores enjoyed a successful time in the youth team. In the first ever U20 Libertadores which was hosted in Lima itself, Oreja managed to win it with his team beating Boca Juniors in the final. He was named the best player of the tournament. When he moved to Spain, he didn’t get any playing time in the first team however and played for Villareal B instead. He moved back to Universitario 2014 and was a first team regular. He got his move to Denmark in 2016, after a successful Torneo Apertura and a good Copa America Centenario.

What is his Style of Play?

Oreja Flores is a left winger. He likes to drive the team forward and is hard to stop on the ball. He’s quick and a good dribbler. When he’s on the ball, he goes as far as he feels he can to the opposition’s goal before distributing it to someone else, or a cross if he reaches the final third. Off the ball, he likes to find pockets of space to receive the ball in a dangerous area or disrupt the shape of the opposition.

What are his Strengths?

To begin with, his dribbling is excellent and his top trait. As mentioned above, he likes to drive forward and go as far as he feels he can, because he knows that he is a good dribbler and can beat many opposition defenders. He’s fearless and he’s great at resisting high pressure from defenders. In terms of how his pace compliments his dribbling, he’s fast but not explosive.

His end product is also a highlight. While he still needs work on his final shot, he’s an excellent crosser and that is a great compliment to have as a winger of his type. There are a countless amount of wingers who are great at getting to the final third but usually don’t have great crossing. Edison shouldn’t be seen in that category. As for his passing ability, it shouldn’t be listed as a strength but it should be noted that he doesn’t make long balls very often unless they are crosses into the box. He doesn’t often play it to the other side of the pitch and often his passing is short. The reason this is a positive to his game is because he doesn’t risk things that he knows he isn’t capable of achieving. He plays to his strengths.

Lastly, his off the ball movement is superb. He knows how to find space and often finds himself in good goal scoring positions to receive the assist from one of his teammates. He also helps disrupt the opposition formation, as mentioned earlier.

What are his Weaknesses?

Earlier, it was mentioned that he’s shut many people up about his true level and this was because he showed a lot of weaknesses for both Universitario and the National Team. While he’s developed and help cut out these weaknesses incredibly, there are still a few problems that should be noted.

First off is that he is quite inconsistent. It was a lot worse before, but he’s still not great every game and sometimes spends it showing his lows more than his highs which will all be mentioned below.

As for his technical weaknesses, his shooting could be better. He spent many years in Peru missing chance after chance. He’s superb at getting into goal scoring positions, but usually shoots it straight to the keeper. The biggest reason for him missing chances though is his first touch. It’s not a bad first touch, nor great. When he’s expected to take a first time shot from a through ball on the wing or if he’s open on the edge of the box, he takes a first touch and takes a few seconds before shooting. This gives the opposition a chance to organize themselves and block the shot.

He’s also not the strongest player. Edison isn’t exactly a diver, but a standing tackle can easily leave him on the floor. This is also an area where he has improved as he’s adjusting to the more physical game in Denmark as opposed to Peru. He still has ways to go however.

Brian is a Peruvian and lives in his home city of Lima. He is naturally a big fan of anything Peruvian football, from the national team to the domestic league. Elsewhere he's a fan of Liga MX and A-League and one of his favourite hobbies is looking for the next hottest prospects in football, those under the radar particularly.